Good Jobs Return to Commonwealth Building
Owner KBS and manager CBRE move to protect workers and investment by hiring responsible janitorial contractor. Janitors celebrate this month as word was released that good union jobs would be returning to the Commonwealth Building in downtown Portland. Commonwealth had, for years, been cleaned by union janitors before a decision was made to choose Expresso Building Services to clean the building. After speaking out, downtown janitors can celebrate a step in the right direction after Commonwealth announced that they would be changing contractors to use a verified “Responsible Contractor” to clean the building.
Health and Safety Problems Land Millennium Building Services in Spotlight — Again
Millennium employee who fell multiple stories reveals hidden layers of subcontracting. The story reads like a nightmare: Jeff Ready-Kraft, a window cleaner, fell eight stories from the top of the Morgan Building in downtown Portland. His hand was burned from attempting to grip the rope to stop himself. A witness told local news, “Out of the corner of my eye, I saw this flash. There was a little vibration you could feel when he landed on the ground, it was crazy.” Further investigation from Oregon’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) revealed that the building owners may not have even known that Mr. Ready-Kraft would be working on their building.
Major Investors Step Up to End Sexual Harassment and Misconduct
Trustees for major pension and investment funds expect protections for workers’ rights against sexual harassment and assault. The #MeToo movement highlighted how harassment, discrimination, and assault pervade corporate cultures, from the executive level to front-line workers. A movement that began with courageous survivors sparking public moral outrage found major allies among institutional investors last month. The “Trustees United for Long Term Value” released their list of principles to guide their investments, a list that began with the premise that sexual harassment and misconduct manifest in the value of companies. Now the Trustees are getting behind janitors fighting for safe, fair working conditions.
RELEASE: Labor union and environmental group unite in call for change at Daimler Trucks North America
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 24, 2018 Contact: Rae Dunnaville, 503-919-1960, raed@seiu49.org A janitors’ labor union and air quality activists have teamed up to advocate for Daimler to change its approach to community engagement. PORTLAND, OR — Portland-area janitors and their allies have criticized Daimler (OTCMKTS: DMLRY) for hiring a low-wage, non-union janitorial contractor to clean its new headquarters and nearby buildings. Now air quality advocates and a janitors’ labor union have teamed up to advocate for Daimler to change its approach to community engagement. Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) recently issued a notice to Daimler Trucks of North America that the company’s truck production plant in Portland may release unlawful “nuisance odors” into adjacent neighborhoods. DEQ’s regulatory action follows years of complaints by area residents, including…
Daimler Trucks of North America Continues Indifferent Reaction to Serious Allegations Against Service Contractors
“U.S. Security is the most unprofessional company I have ever worked with!” -Security Official, Delaware Courts Daimler Trucks of North America received public funding, to the tune of $20 million in state and local assistance, to construct their headquarters building, completed in 2016. As part of the agreement, Daimler committed to create good jobs for their employees. It appears that they’ve followed through with those commitments, at least for their direct employees. The agreement left out any requirements that workers who clean and secure Daimler’s headquarters, employees of service contractors, also enjoy good jobs. In the case with Millennium Building Services, the company Daimler contracts with to perform janitorial…
We're working together for a better economy, good jobs, and healthy, safe buildings.
